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THBSigned Japanese Muromachi Steel Wakizashi w/ Scabbard
Lot 84a
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$2,400 - $3,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Dec 12, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-12-12 10:00:00
2019-12-12 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Holiday Sale - Antiquities / Ethnographic Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/holiday-sale---antiquities-ethnographic-art-4743
What to give this holiday season? You'll find plenty of options in our Dec. 12 auction that will cater to all tastes and budgets. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
What to give this holiday season? You'll find plenty of options in our Dec. 12 auction that will cater to all tastes and budgets. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (382)
- Lot Description
**Holiday Shipping Deadlines**
USA Domestic: 12/14 for Standard; 12/23 for Express; International: 12/7 for Standard; 12/19 for Express
East Asia, Japan, late Muromachi period, ca. 1500 CE, signed by Hidemitsu. A beautiful wakizashi with a single-edged blade, a scabbard (saya) made of lacquered (urushi) wood, and a handle (tsuka) wrapped with stingray skin (same) and cotton straps (tsuka-ito) topped with a brass cap (kashira). The openwork handguard (sukashi tsuba) has a sun and cloud-form motifs and sits just below a copper blade cap (fuchi). The shinogi-zukuri steel blade has a higher ridge line than the typical shobu-zukuri design, a diamond-shaped (iori-mune) profile, and a lightly curved (chu-kissaki) tip. An irregular wavy temper pattern (gunome-choji) formed by the tight-grained hammer-folding process (itame-hada) as well as shallow fullers (bohi) run the length of the blade. The tang is hammered with the signature "Hidemitsu." Size (w/ scabbard): 2.9" W x 29.75" H (7.4 cm x 75.6 cm); (blade): 20.2" L (51.3 cm)
This traditional Japanese sword was both a weapon and a symbol of authority and social status. The wakizashi paired with the longer katana sword marked the wearer as a samurai. The shorter sword was seen as an auxiliary weapon, also used for fighting in close quarters. Wakizashi could also be worn by non-samurai if worn alone, and members of the merchant class (chonin) wore them because of the frequency of encountering bandits when traveling between Japan's cities.
Over the centuries that katana and wakizashi were made, the process of their manufacture became heavily regulated. For example, in 1683, the Tokugawa Shogunate made laws concerning the maximum size of katana and wakizashi. Meanwhile, once a samurai took ownership of his new weapon, he had to wear it in a highly regulated manner. Wakizashi and katana in this period were both deadly weapons and signs of prestige. The craftsmanship of this piece is evident and reflects hundreds of hours of work.
Provenance: private Jones collection, Boulder, Colorado, USA, acquired in August 2019; ex-private Sacramento, California, USA
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#150770Original by-knife missing. Blade is from the Muromachi period, though tsuba and scabbard may be from later periods. Minor abrasions to blade, scabbard, and tsuba, with fraying and loosening to some handle wrappings, and light craquelure to scabbard lacquer, otherwise intact and very good. Wonderful patina throughout.Condition
- Shipping Info
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